Alka-Seltzer tablets and their generic equivalents are useful for more than just relief from indigestion and heartburn. From cleaning your toilet to attracting fish, these little pills pack big power when used in other ways.

Clean Your Toilet
Drop two tablets in the toilet, wait 20 minutes for the citric acid to loosen the grime, scrub and flush. Your toilet will look as clean as it would had you used conventional cleaners.

Unclog the Sink
A great natural solution for unclogging the drain! Drop 3 tablets down the drain, followed by a 1/2 cup of vinegar. Let the hot water run for 5 minutes and you’ll have a clear drain. This will also work to deodorize the drain.

Clean Burnt Food Off Glass Cookware
Burnt the casserole again? Even with a good scrub, sometimes the food seems to stay. Enter Alka-Seltzer. Drop 5 tablets in a sink full of hot water, soak your cookware for an hour and the burnt food will come off with ease.

Clean a Glass Jar, Vase or Thermos
For difficult to clean vessels with intricate design and hard to reach places, a wash cloth or scrub brush just won’t do. Instead, drop two Alka-Seltzer tablets in, add hot water and swish it around until the tablets are dissolved and let it sit for an hour. Rinse, and the glass jar, vase or Thermos will be as clean as new.

Polish Jewelry
Drop two tablets in a bowl of warm water. Let your jewelry soak for about 20 minutes. It will look new again! (Note: This is not safe for pearls or opals.)

Clean a Coffee Percolator
Fill the water chamber and drop in two tablets, then run a cycle. This will clean out all the internal components. Run through another plain water cycle before using the machine again for coffee.

Go Fishing
Fish love bubbles, and dissolving Alka-Seltzer is very bubbly. Put a tablet inside your tube jig and cast off. The fish won’t be able to resist the stream of bubbles.

Soothe Insect Bites
Drop two tablets in warm water, then soak a cotton ball in the solution. Apply it to the infected area for 30 minutes for relief from the insect bites.

Aside from these great Home Ec. solutions, Alka-Seltzer tablets have been attributed medicinal benefits beyond those listed on the box. Here are two of the rumored benefits:

Manage Nicotine Addiction
Take two Alka-Seltzer tablets three times daily to relieve nicotine withdrawal symptoms and curb cravings.

Cure Urinary Tract Infections
Take two tablets in a glass of water as soon as you notice symptoms. Results are almost immediate. Keep in mind that Aspirin is a main ingredient in Alka-Seltzer so those with Aspirin allergies shouldn’t use it.

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